PROSPECTUS
2017 FMVA Constraint Show –TIME WARP- Comstock House, 1917 to 2017
Dates: July 11 to September 8, 2017
Location: The Historic Comstock House, 506 8th St S, Moorhead, MN
Entry Due Date: June 15th, must include photo and size of artwork and artist statement
Artwork drop off: July 8th and 9th – 10 am to 4 pm
Reception: Thursday, July 13, 5 - 7 pm
Art Pickup: September 9th, 1 to 4 pm
Built by Solomon G. Comstock in 1883, the Victorian home showcases the popular styles of the time,
blending Queen Anne and Eastlake designs. Comstock was a U.S. Representative, banker, and helped to
build James J. Hill’s railroad. He and his wife Sarah Ball raised three children in the home.
What artwork would the original occupants of this house in 1917 display on their walls and in their
surroundings, today? Would it be family portraits; sports photos; pictures from around the world; modern
art; new technology? Imagine your 2017 artwork nestled in a Victorian home built in the early 1900s.
1 Piece per FMVA Artist – we have space for 23 - 2D and 15 - 3D – maximum size for 2D is approximately 32”
x 38” – weight restriction of 30 pounds for 2D. An additional constraint is that we use only the existing nails
in the walls so all 2D art must have wires on the back for hanging. PLEASE REQUEST A PEDESTAL, IF YOU
NEED ONE, AFTER YOU SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY FOR YOUR 3D ART BY A SEPARATE EMAIL TO:
[email protected]
Artwork may be for sale. The curator of the show will determine the placement of the pieces.
A brochure will include a photo of the artwork along with the artist statement.
Comstock hours during our exhibition are Saturday and Sunday 1 to 4. (Estimated total attendance for that
period which is their busy season is around 400 to 600 folks.
We can arrange a one-time private visit if there is a group that wants – let info@fmva know of your desire.
Further information to help you:
Take a trip through a Time Warp and put on your artistic thinking caps and create your vision of what the
Comstock’s might have for art pieces in their home in 2017. The Comstock’s were well educated and family
oriented. They were well traveled and collected art from around the world. This is your opportunity to
envision what art pieces that they might have in their collection today. In 1917 here are some of the things
that were going on that influenced their art:
U.S. Events
● U.S. declares war with Germany (Apr. 6). Background: World War I
● "I Want You." James Montgomery Flagg's poster, featuring Uncle Sam and based on a 1914 British
poster, attracts thousands of U.S. recruits to WWI duty.
● Between ten thousand and fifteen thousand blacks silently walk down New York City's Fifth Avenue to
protest racial discrimination and violence (July 28). Background: civil rights
Entertainment
● The first Pulitzer Prizes are awarded for editorial writing, reporting, history of the United States, and
biography or autobiography.
● The first op-ed page appears in the New York Times.
A few of the many artists of the time
● Georgia O’Keefe
● Henri Matisse
● Jacob Epstein
● Charles Sheeler
Art Events
● Eric Kennington, William Orpen, C. R. W. Nevinson, Paul Nash and William Rothenstein are sent as war
artists to the Western Front from England.
● De Stijl artistic movement is established by Theo van Doesburg.
● The Allen Memorial Art Museum is established at Oberlin College in Ohio.